Newsletter

UF's Parsons becoming a clutch shooter

GAINESVILLE -- Chandler Parsons has maxed out his Facebook friends.

The Florida forward reached 5,000 friends after his second buzzer-beater in three weeks. He drained a 75-footer to stun North Carolina State 62-61 on Jan. 3, then hit a 3-pointer to knock off South Carolina 58-56 on Saturday.

Those shots secured him a spot in team lore -- no other Florida player has two game-winners -- and made him the second-most popular guy on campus. Behind Tim Tebow, of course.

"It definitely feels good," Parsons said Monday. "Just to make those shots and get the win for my team is really important to me. The recognition, the fans and stuff, that's great. But the win to me is bigger."

The last-second victories could be huge when the NCAA tournament rolls around. They might prove to be the difference between the Gators (14-5, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) getting back in the NCAA field for the first time in three years and settling for another NIT berth. They certainly boosted Parsons' confidence.

Before this season, the 6-foot-9 junior from Casselberry was best known for spending six years -- four in high school and two in college -- playing in Nick Calathes' shadow and for being a defensive liability.

Parsons is averaging 10.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists heading into Wednesday's game against Georgia, and is second on the team in 3-point shooting (35 percent). He also leads the press and has become one of the team's better defenders.

It might even be more than coincidental that Florida's three-game winning streak coincides with Parsons' move into the starting lineup.

"He's just been phenomenal, defensively, rebounding, scoring, clutch shots," guard Erving Walker said. "We can't ask any more from him right now."

What sparked the turnaround?

"Just watching film from my first two years on defense, it made me sick to my stomach," Parsons said.

"I just really want to do the things in the long run that affect us winning. That's not me scoring 20. That's me playing defense."

Although coach Billy Donovan has raved about Parsons all season, he still felt the need to talk to him and keep him grounded after his recent success.

"For Chandler, he's probably had two experiences this year that he'll remember for the rest of his life -- one from 75 feet and then a 3-pointer," Donovan said. "As quickly as things can go good, they can turn around and go the other way.

"When you make a game-winning shot like that, you're not as great as everybody thinks you are.

"And when you miss a shot, you're not as bad as everybody thinks you are. The key is to look back on the amount of time you've put in as a player this offseason to put yourself in that position. If you lose sight of that and think, 'I've got it all figured out' or 'This is easy' or 'I know how to do this now,' the next time you may not be as prepared."

Parsons wasn't prepared for the Facebook onslaught.

He received more than 200 friend requests after Florida beat the Wolfpack. The Gators appeared headed for a loss after N.C. State went ahead 61-59 with 2.6 seconds remaining. But Parsons rebounded a missed free throw, took two dribbles and launched the ball from well beyond midcourt. It swished through, sending the Gators spilling onto the floor.

His shot against the Gamecocks was considerably closer, but set off a more raucous celebration. Devan Downey's running jumper put South Carolina up 56-55 with 5.1 seconds to play. Erving Walker rushed the other way, drove to the free throw line and found Parsons on the wing. He set both feet and nailed just his second 3-pointer in five SEC games.

His Facebook page really took off then.

"It was out of control," Parsons said. "It's just crazy. If that ball rolls out, everyone might be calling you a choke and de-friending you on Facebook. You can't really take it to heart. Everything had to happen so perfectly for both those to happen. I could have easily been on the other side of that."